


The Third Time's The Problem

by Jasons_bamboozlement



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: (Slowish burn), Alternate Universe - High School, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-16 03:18:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10562604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jasons_bamboozlement/pseuds/Jasons_bamboozlement
Summary: Loner Jason Todd is stuck being tutored by Dick Grayson. But maybe Jason is more okay with the arrangement than he's willing to admit.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: Rape/non-con element will show up. I will warn on the individual chapters it affects so you can skip those if you'd like.

Jason hated this place. High school was not a picnic for a lot of people, but for Jason, it was complete hell. From a very early age, the students, mainly led by one Kurtis Flores (a true asshole), had made it painfully clear that Jason was an outsider and not welcome in their friendship circles. With his lack of designer brand clothes and his low tolerance for falseness, he definitely stuck out as a loner, which was fine by Jason. At least that’s what he told himself.

Having grown up with a father that left him at a young age and a mother too busy with her own vices to be much of a parental figure, Jason had learned early on how to fend for himself. And after a few developmental years getting teased for not fitting in at school, he had started throwing punches (you don’t walk through Crime Alley on your way home and not pick up a few skills). From there on, the kids had generally left him alone, save for the occasional dig by Kurtis.

Now in high school, Jason had perfected his loner look and attitude. His outfit was generally the same everyday (not really by choice, purchasing new clothes always came second to making sure he had food to eat). But truth be told, Jason didn’t need a lot of variety when it came to clothing. His thrift-store leather jacket served him well in all types of weather and it really sent the “don’t fuck with me” vibe out loud and clear.

As for attitude, Jason looked at high school as that necessary evil he’d have to endure before he could set out on his own. He’d keep his head down, muddle through classes and then get the hell out. His plans for after graduation? He thought about maybe opening a mechanic shop. He’d always been good with mechanical stuff; why not make a living out of it? Besides, he didn’t see himself sitting at a desk job all day, helping to put money into the pockets of Gotham’s already wealthy.

So here he was, another day sitting in a stuffy classroom, staring out the window wishing the bell would ring. The class was pre-calculus. He actually didn’t hate the subject, it was straightforward and impassive-something he could appreciate. The same could not be said for English. 

English was currently the bane of his existence. He couldn’t stand reading books about people he didn’t relate to. It was even worse to try to discuss symbolism and motifs (you know, maybe sometimes a light is green just because the author liked the color green).  In any case, he was failing the class, even though they were only a quarter of the way through the year. He knew he needed the class to graduate in the spring, but dammit, he couldn’t bring himself to even attempt to care about the subject.

So when he was called down to the guidance counselor’s office, he knew the exact reason why. Miss Parks was a gentle soul who had done her best to try to make sure Jason didn’t fall through the cracks. But her over-pitying looks always caused Jason to bristle. He did not appreciate being treated like a project.

“Jason, I guess you know why I wanted to meet with you today?” she said with the guidance counselor perfected I-just-want-to-be-your-friend tone.

“English?” Jason said, not willing to engage any more than was necessary.

“Your teacher, Mrs. Clarington, and I are both worried about you. We just want to see you succeed.” she said.

 _"Yeah, sure you do. No one’s ever willingly wanted to look after me before, so you’ll forgive me if I don’t rush to believe you."_ Jason wanted to reply. Instead he settled for a begrudged snort of “Uh huh”.

“Well whether you believe me or not,” Miss Park replied clearly not put off by Jason’s reluctance participate in the conversation, “I’ve found a solution for you.”

Jason did not like the optimistic tone that was creeping into her voice. Whatever solution she was about to present, he knew he was going to hate it. Couldn’t he just continue on at this level and then hope for a miraculous D at the end of the year?

“We have just started an after-school, peer tutoring program and one of our English tutors had a schedule change which made him available to work with you.” Miss Park said.

Oh yeah, Jason _despised_ this solution. It was full of all the words he hated most: English, after school, tutoring, and peer. This was going to blow.

“Is this mandatory?” Jason questioned, hoping for a way out.

“Unless you want to repeat your senior year.” Miss Park replied, with a knowing smile.

Well that sure as hell wasn’t going to happen. “Fine.” He sighed in defeat.  “Who am I stuck with for a tutor?”

“A fellow senior,” Miss Park said “Dick Grayson”.


	2. Chapter 2

Dick Grayson. Jason knew who he was. Hell, everyone in the school knew who he was. He was an honor roll student, involved in just about every club and organization the school offered, and, to top it off, he was the son of billionaire Bruce Wayne. In addition, he was widely popular. He had an easy smile, boisterous laugh, and a winning personality. Everyone he interacted with seemed to be drawn to him. It probably didn’t help that he was incredibly easy on the eyes. Even though he wasn’t involved in any school sports that Jason could see, he was still exceptionally fit in a lean-muscle type of way.

“If you want to save your reputation, you may not want to be seen chatting it up with me,” Jason suggested to the slightly lanky boy leaning against the locker next to his.

“I think my reputation’s pretty well secured,” the boy laughed gently. “Besides, it’s the end of the day, everyone is too focused on locating the nearest exit to pay much attention.”

Jason had to give it to him on that point. A fire alarm couldn’t clear people out as fast as that final bell did.

“I’m Dick Grayson,” The boy said, offering his hand. Jason ignored it. Dick shrugged and kept on like nothing had happened. “Miss Park said we’re going to be working together on English.”

“No, Miss Park said you’re stuck tutoring me in English because I’m too stupid to manage it on my own,” Jason corrected.

Dick didn’t even look fazed by Jason’s attitude. “Well, we could stand here and argue semantics all day, but that’s really the basis of English. And I’d hate to run out of material so early in our tutoring,” he said with a cheeky smile

Jason rolled his eyes at the lame joke, but was slowly starting to feel imperceptibly more at ease with Dick. Seriously, no wonder he had a near cult-like following of friends. The guy was so easy-going, it was obvious why people seemed to flock to him.

“Why don’t you come by my house around 6 tonight and we can get started?” Dick said.

“Yeah, fine,” Jason said with a shrug as he continued to pack up things into his beaten up backpack.

They swapped contact information and Dick gave Jason directions for “the manor” as Dick referred to it (for just half a second Jason had forgotten that the two of them had been raised in incredibly different situations. That was a jarring reminder). Dick left with a genially wave and jogged out to his Audi coupe while Jason turned and trudged towards his trusty motorcycle. An evening at “the manor” while he showed off how stupid he was in English; despite Dick’s charming attitude, Jason was not looking forward to what tonight would bring.


	3. Chapter 3

“God damn rich folks” Jason thought as he pulled up to the manor. The place was huge and looked like it could house half of Gotham’s poor. Yet here it was, holding just two people. He couldn’t help the eye roll that escaped him. Nevertheless, he knew he’d rather meet his tutor here than be seen with him at school. So with a sigh, Jason made his way to the front door.

After knocking on the obnoxiously ornate door, Jason was greeted by someone who was neither Dick nor his adoptive father Bruce Wayne. Jason mentally upped the resident count of the manor by one and said “Umm…I’m here to see Dick?”

“Ah yes, Master Richard is expecting you. He’s waiting in the study.” The man Jason assumed to be the butler (Seriously, how rich did you have to be to have a butler?) motioned for Jason to enter. “You’ll find him down the hall, the third door on the right.”

“Uh, thanks,” Jason said, making his way in the direction the butler had directed.

Carefully counting his way down the hall (Jason did not want to think what getting lost in a house this size would cost him), he eventually found the door to the study which was slightly ajar. Entering the room, his eyes fell onto Dick. He was sitting on a couch, legs tucked under him, intently focused on the novel in his hand. Jason stood there for a moment observing Dick absentmindedly running his free hand through his slightly shaggy raven hair.

There was something about him that captured Jason’s full attention. He was so at ease with himself-clearly comfortable in his own skin and perfectly content. Jason was envious, but not in a resentful way. He was certain he’d never looked that peaceful in his life. Suddenly he was curious about this man’s life: had he always been this at ease, or was this recent?

After a minute, Jason shook himself back into the present and reminded himself that he was only there for an English lesson. Just thinking about the subject was enough to push him back into dreaded reality. He cleared his throat.

“Oh hey!” Dick said with a smile, getting up from the couch. “I didn’t realize you were already here.”

“Yeah, I was let in by the…butler?” Jason asked.

“Yup, that’s Alfred. He’s an institution around here,” Dick confirmed with a thoughtful smile. “Well, hey, let’s get started. I know this isn’t exactly your idea of a good time, so I don’t want to keep you any longer than necessary”.

“Uh, thanks,” Jason said as he made his way towards the table Dick was clearing off. Setting his bag down, Jason took the seat Dick offered him and then mentally prepared himself for what was certain to be one of the longest, dullest hours of his life.

“Okay, so the good news is, Mrs. Clarington said you’re not too far gone, just that you might need some help filling in the missing pieces,” Dick said.

“Well, ‘yippie’ for me,” Jason sighed.

Dick’s smile faltered slightly for the first time since they’d started their interaction. “Look, I know English isn’t everyone’s forte and a lot people think reading books and writing essays is a waste of time. But it’s one of my favorite subjects, and I’m really hoping you’ll at least give it a chance.”

Jason was taken aback by the earnestness in Dick’s request and his eyes. Jason felt a twinge of guilt, and internally promised to reign in his snark, at least while working with Dick. “Okay, fine. Let’s just get started,” Jason begrudged. Because while he was going to watch his sarcasm, nothing was going to cause him to drop the “tough guy” act he’d been perfecting since second grade.

“Okay, great,” Dick said hesitantly, clearly not sure if his request to be open-minded was going to be met. “Well, why don’t we start with Wuthering Heights? That was the last assigned reading Mrs. Clarington said your class had been working on.”

 

_____________________

 

 “That about wraps up our hour,” Dick said cheerfully. “Do you have any questions?”

Several, actually, thought Jason: “ _1\. Are you always this stupidly cheery over school stuff? 2. Holy crap, that was an hour? 3. Why did it fly by so quickly? 4. And why am I surprisingly excited to come back and do this all over again in a week?_ ” Instead, Jason settled on a noncommittal “No, I think I’m good.”

“Okay, well that’s good, I think,” Dick said. “Do you want to stick with the same time next week?”

“Sure, since the school’s decided I’ve got nothing better to do,” Jason said, although he winced a little at the snide part of his response. His anger was directed at the school, not Dick. Dick had been nothing but pleasant the whole time, and Jason was grateful he hadn’t seemed to judge him in the least for his lack of literature knowledge. In fact he had been down-right supportive, which, coming from a peer, was a new experience. Truthfully, it had brought up confusing emotions in Jason that he was quickly trying to squash back down.

Dick seemed unfazed and said “Okay, sounds good. Here, let me walk you out.” 

They said a brief goodbye at the door and Jason walked back to his beloved motorcycle. He took a look back at the manor, still thinking it was insufferably large, but maybe holding the people inside it in a slightly (and the emphasis was on slightly) higher view than when he’d arrived. With a roar, he kick-started his bike to life, and made his way back home.


	4. Chapter 4

The days at school didn’t change. Same routine, same judgmental and fake people, but his evenings were quickly beginning to evolve. Since their first tutoring session, Jason had originally planned on only spending one hour, once a week over at the manor with Dick. But soon one hour turned into two and once a week turned into three times a week.

Jason couldn’t seem to help himself. As much as he’d spent his time growing up trying to be a person who never depended on anyone for anything, he was quickly starting to enjoy Dick’s company an exceptional amount. At first their tutoring sessions had just started running a bit over the hour, but then English and literature talk had led to just regular conversation and Jason’s ‘tough guy’ facade slowly started to drop. And before Jason knew it, he was looking forward to stopping by the manor almost nightly to hang out with Dick.

 

______________

               

The first night Jason had stayed for dinner, they’d long since wrapped up talking about grammar rules and had moved onto the merits of Wes Anderson films. Because while Jason was not a fan of reading, he was a huge movie buff.

“I’m sorry, but there is no way you’re going to convince me those movies are worth a second viewing; once was plenty!” Dick argued playfully as the two made their way down the hall to the front door.

“You’re so wrong,” Jason said with a good-natured shove to Dick’s shoulder. “You just need to watch them with me pointing out all the details you seem to have missed. There is _so_ much more that you’re not seeing”

As Jason was headed towards the exit, Alfred appeared and said “Master Richard, dinner is served in the dining room.”

“Thanks, Alfred. I’ll be right there. Hey!” Dick said turning back to Jason, “Why don’t you join us for dinner? There’s always too much food and Alfred is practically a wizard in the kitchen.”

“Oh, um, I’m not sure,” Jason was reluctant to accept the invitation. Despite the amount of time they’d started to spend together, this gesture still felt a little bit like a charity move, and he did still have his pride. But he knew what was waiting for him at home: a near empty fridge with a carton of spoiled milk and some eggs that were now past their expiration date. Plus, he could smell the dinner wafting down the hall and _damn_ it smelled amazing.

Jason’s stomach let out a timely growl at which Dick grabbed his hand and said “That settles it, you’re having dinner with us.” With a smile, Dick tugged Jason’s slightly reluctant body towards the dining room. Simultaneously, Jason pondered what was more surprising: the sudden warmth he felt in his chest as he looked at Dick’s hand in his, or how natural it felt to be holding hands with him.


	5. Chapter 5

Dinner consisted of delicious comfort foods, and Jason had to remind himself not to shovel the food in like it was the first home-cooked meal he’d had in well over a year (which it was). Dick wasn’t lying when he said Alfred was a culinary wizard. To top it off, after the main meal was cleared away, Jason made a move to leave the table but was stopped by Dick asking “Wait, don’t you want dessert?” 

Even as he asked, Alfred appeared with three tastefully simple ice cream sundaes. Jason felt his throat tighten a little as he sat back down. It had been ages since he had indulged in anything beyond the basic foods for survival and he was unexpectedly overwhelmed with the simple luxury sitting in front of him. If Dick noticed Jason’s little moment of weakness, he didn’t say anything, and for that, Jason was eternally grateful.

Conversation during diner had been pleasant between himself, Dick and Mr. Wayne. Dick animatedly providing most of the anecdotes while Bruce and Jason listened indulgently. Bruce asked Jason questions about his school day and listened with what seemed like genuine interest to his responses. This was a completely alien interaction to Jason. Since his father had run out on him, Jason hadn’t known anything like this.

From what Jason had seen, Bruce seemed to be fairly stoic, but clearly had a soft spot in his heart for his son. Jason felt a flare of jealousy rise in him as he watched Bruce’s exchanges with Dick. He’d never thought it was something he would long for. But watching Dick and Bruce interact, he realized there was a part of him that really wanted a parental figure to be interested in his day-to-day life.

 

After dessert, Dick walked Jason to the door.

“Hey, I know tomorrow’s not a school night, so there’s no reason for you to come over for tutoring, but I downloaded a few Wes Anderson movies, and was wondering if maybe you wanted to watch them with me, “ Dick said. Maybe Jason was just high on a full stomach, but it almost sounded like Dick was nervous that he might say no. Jason thought it was endearing and felt that unexplained heat radiate throughout his chest again.

“Yeah, sure!” Jason said with just a bit too much enthusiasm. Trying to rein it in, he continued “That sounds great. What time should I be here?”

“Let’s say 7?” Dick offered, a smile spreading over his face after Jason’s affirmative answer.

“That works for me. I’ll see you then,” Jason said. And with a quick wave goodbye, he headed towards his bike to make the drive home; feeling a sense of excitement for the next night spread through him.


	6. Chapter 6

He didn’t know why he was nervous. He’d spent countless hours over at the manor with Dick, but tonight felt different. Maybe it was because they weren’t starting out with tutoring? Maybe because the way Dick had asked, felt almost like he was asking for a date? Maybe Jason was completely over-thinking this and it was just Dick being friendly, per the norm. Jason took a calming breath and rang the doorbell.

Dick appeared within a few seconds looking slightly out of breath and a little disheveled, as if he had run to answer the door. The thought sent a shot of excitement through his veins. Jason’s pulse quickened when he saw what Dick was wearing. Apparently movie nights at the Wayne Manor were cause to ditch the usual designer jeans and sweater and swap them for a pair of hip-hugging sweats and a t-shirt that followed Dick’s contours far too well.

“Hey Jay!” Dick beamed.

“Uh…hey,” Jason said as he double checked to make sure his mouth was not hanging open and that his eyes didn’t stray any lower than Dick’s shirt collar.

“Alfred’s got us all set up in the movie room. We’ve got popcorn and the candy classics, but if you want anything else, just holler,” Dick said, stepping aside to let Jason in.

“Movie room?” Jason said, raising his eyebrow.

Dick faltered for a second, “Oh yeah, sorry. When you grow up here, it’s sometimes easy to forget most people don’t have a room set aside just for movies.” Going off of Jason’s outfits and well-worn school supplies, Dick had clearly pieced together Jason’s financial situation. It was obvious that he tried very hard not to flaunt his inherited wealth, but when things slipped out, he clearly felt guilty about it.

Jason had since stopped resenting the Wayne’s for their fortune. From what he could tell, Bruce was actively involved in trying to help Gotham’s less fortunate and Dick didn’t use his wealth to look down on others, unlike some of the pretentious pricks (Kurtis’ idiotic face came to mind) at the school. But even with Dick trying not to parade around his wealth, some things still caught Jason by surprise.

“No worries, man,” Jason said trying to put Dick, who was now abashedly rubbing the back of his neck, at ease.

Dick looked up through his dark lashes with a shy smile “You sure?”

“Yeah, no biggie. Besides, I wouldn’t walk out on a night of showing you how wrong you are on Wes Anderson for all the snobbery in Gotham.”

Dick playfully stuck his tongue out at him, but looked mollified.

They made their way down to the movie room and Jason was greeted with the smell of fresh popcorn. Looking around, he saw the room was clearly set up as a mini theater. It had three tiered rows of plush, leather loveseats with blankets draped over the backs, one wall was entirely devoted to the screen, and there was even a popcorn maker in the corner. Dick headed to the middle row and flopped down on one of the loveseats. When he realized Jason was still gawking in the doorway, he made a motion for Jason to sit on the cushion next to him.

Jason shook himself out of his stupor, and wandered down to sit by Dick.

“Okay, so I’ve got Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and The Royal Tenenbaums. Where should we start?” Dick looked at him expectantly.

“I say go with Rushmore first. It’s iconically Anderson.” Jason answered.

“Sounds like a plan” Dick said as he aimed the remote at the screen and settled into the loveseat.

_______________

 

They went through Rushmore and Royal Tenenbaums. Jason pointed out his favorite parts and characters, trying to sell Dick on the genius that is Wes Anderson. Dick remained unconvinced, though not for lack of trying on both their parts.

From what Jason had observed, Dick must have one of the highest metabolisms known to man. How else could he be able to put away all the calories he did and still maintain the lean, defined figure he had? Case and point: as they were settling in to watch Bottle Rocket, Dick looked down and realized he had eaten through all of the Twizzlers in his half of the snacks. At about the same time, he noticed Jason was currently in the process of opening up his own package of Twizzlers.

“Hey Jay…” Dick started in a singsong voice that only promised trouble. “What could I do to get you to share those Twizzlers?”

“Nothing,” Jason stated bluntly.

“Pretty please, Jay?” Dick tried again with a slight pout to his face.

“How can you still be hungry?” Jason asked with a bemused grin. “You went through a bucket of popcorn, two sodas, your own Twizzlers, and half a box of Whoppers. Where are you storing all of those calories?”

Dick shrugged and made a leap for the Twizzler Jason was holding in his hand.

“What the..?” Jason said, startled by the sudden warm body pressed on top of him, but still keeping the Twizzler out of Dick’s reach. “Dick, get off me! You can’t have them, they’re mine!” Jason half yelled, half laughed.

“Come on, Jay, you know you want to share.” Dick said as he continued to climb on Jason to get at the candy.

“Oh alright, anything to stop this smother-them-until-they-give-in torture method you’ve got.” Jason smiled as he brought the Twizzler back into Dick’s reach.

“You’re the best, Jay,” Dick said as he happily munched on the hard-won candy. Still leaning in on Jason, Dick picked up the remote and started the next movie. Jason could feel his pulse start to speed up as Dick continued to keep his side flush with Jason’s. He could smell the almond shampoo that Dick used and had to restrain himself from reaching up to stroke that ruffled head of hair.

About twenty minutes into the movie, Dick pulled a blanket over the two of them, clearly not having any problems with their proximity. Jason was at a loss. Was this truly a date? Was Dick gay? He could have sworn there were rumors of Dick and one of the cheerleaders dating.

The simplest thing to do was ask him outright if this was a date, but what if it wasn’t? What if Dick was just this naturally friendly and comfortable with everyone? If it wasn’t a date, and Dick was straight, would things become awkward? Jason had come to value their time together too much to risk doing anything that might ruin their friendship. So he decided to just wait it out, and not make any dangerous assumptions.

An hour into the movie, however, Dick had fallen asleep with his head on Jason’s shoulder. He was snoring softly, and the way his hair fell into his face had forced all the blood in Jason’s body to head straight towards his groin. Jason just prayed that by the time Dick woke up, he’d be in enough control of his body that he could stand up without drawing attention to himself.

As the movie started to come to a close, Dick finally stirred.

“Oh shit, did I fall asleep?” Dick said running his hand through his hair, but still maintaining contact with Jason’s body. “I’m sorry, I know I promised to give all of the movies a fair shake.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s getting late anyway. I should probably head home,” Jason said. He was still painfully aware of every inch of Dick’s body that was touching him, but at least he’d gotten his lower anatomy under control.

“Well how about this, tomorrow’s Saturday, would you like to come back and give this one a second try?” Dick offered. “Why don’t you come over around 4 and we can get a decently early start this time?”

Jason couldn’t resist the opportunity to spend more time with Dick and he quickly agreed to come back tomorrow. Only after Jason had acquiesced to his request, did Dick finally detach himself from Jason’s side so he could walk him out.

 

On his drive home, Jason had a hell of a time staying focused on the road. Thank god it was late enough that no one was out; otherwise he probably would have caused an accident. But he couldn’t stop thinking about the way Dick felt next to him, the heat from his body, the scent of his hair. Jason was so fucked.


	7. Chapter 7

Jason showed up promptly at 4. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t spent 80% of his day counting down the time until he could reasonably set out for the manor. Life at home had become particularly hellish over the past few months. Between the contrast of his mom’s apartment and the manor and his mom’s new found pill addiction, Jason couldn’t get out of the apartment fast enough.

When he arrived, Dick opened the door and Jason’s mouth went completely dry. Dick was in a form-fitting pair of tights and nothing else. His bare torso was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and his damp hair was falling into his eyes.

“Jay! Sorry, I’m just wrapping up. I guess I lost track of the time,” Dick said. “You’re welcome to wait up here while I finish or you can come watch.”

Jason was incredibly confused. “Umm…finish up what?”

“Oh my gosh! Have I not mentioned this to you?” Dick asked in disbelief. “Here, why don’t you come see,” Dick said grabbing Jason by the hand and leading him down to the basement.

Jason wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t this. When they reached the basement, Jason was lead into a mini gymnasium complete with pummel horse, still rings, and trapeze rigging. Dick let go of Jason’s hand and jogged over to the rings.

“I’ve just got a few more things to practice on these and then I’ll be done,” He called over his shoulder. Jason watched in awe as Dick hoisted himself up on the rings and then proceeded to hold his body steady in a variety of poses that each looked like they required a tremendous amount of strength. Now Dick’s lean body and metabolism all made sense.

As Dick exited his last position with a double forward somersault, Jason couldn’t help but applaud.

“That’s incredible! Where did you learn all that?” Jason asked.

“It’s a slightly long story,” Dick said has he grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off his face “but let’s just say a circus is involved.”

Dick didn’t give Jason any more time to ponder that because his eyes lit up with an idea and immediately said “Hey! Since you’re here so much earlier than normal, would you want to do some other things before we settled in for the movie?”

“Umm…sure,” Jason said. “What did you have in mind?”

“We’ve got a ton of games that go un-played,” Dick suggested.

Jason’s excitement level dropped a bit. He wasn’t really in the mood to play Scrabble. His face must have shown it because Dick added “Not like board games, arcade games and such.”

That was entertainment Jason could get behind! Dick pointed him in the right direction for the game room, and promised to join him after a quick shower. Jason wandered around the room and finally settled on shooting a round of pool while he waited.

Growing up, there had been a bar across the street from his apartment. He’d spent many hours perfecting his game. He was definitely not old enough to be in the bar, but the owner was a bit shifty and didn’t seem to have any qualms. And Jason relished the time out of the apartment.

Dick wandered into the room, freshly showered and sporting a similar outfit to yesterday’s. However, with the residual water from Dick’s hair and back causing the shirt to cling even more fiercely to his body, Jason couldn’t seem to drag his gaze away.

“Want to shoot a round?” Dick proffered.

“Uh…yeah,” Jason said, still distracted by Dick’s form.

Dick, as unconcerned as ever, set up for a new game. “You want to break?” he offered.

“No, you can start, if you want,” Jason responded.

Dick shrugged and leaned over to line up his shot. With surprising accuracy, Dick sunk two balls with the break. “Guess I’m solids.” Dick said casually.

Surprised, Jason said “Wait, you’re actually good at this.”

Dick gave him a questioning look. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“It’s just that most people I play with really don’t offer much of a challenge for me anymore.”

“Well, then prepare to be challenged,” Dick said with a mischievous smile.

“Want to make this interesting?” Jason said, cocking an eyebrow.

Not even a little bit discouraged Dick asked “What are the stakes?”

“Twizzlers.”

“You’re on.”

 

_____________

 

Three rounds later, Jason was down one game. He won the first, but lost the next two, although he’d have to blame his hormones for the loss. Halfway through the second game, Dick was lining up a particularly difficult shot. In the end, he was forced to lean over while putting one knee up on the edge of the table. Jason couldn’t stop the thoughts that raced through his mind at being behind Dick while he was in that position. From there on out, he’d pretty much lost focus on the game at hand.

Alfred appeared after their third game to inform them that dinner was being served. After their first dinner together, Bruce had it made clear that Jason was welcome to stay for any meal he wanted (an offer he had appreciatively taken advantage of numerous times).

Dinner was delicious, as always, and conversation was lighthearted. Bruce asked about their plans for the evening (he had some charity gala he needed to make an appearance at). Dick told him about their movie plans.

“Sounds pleasant,” Bruce contended.

As they were getting up to go their separate ways, Bruce said “Jason, I know you have a fairly long drive back to your home and that it goes through Crime Alley. If it gets to be too late, I don’t want to see you driving through there, especially on a motorcycle. Please consider staying the night over here instead. I’ll have Alfred prepare one of the spare bedrooms just in case.” With that, Bruce bade them a goodnight as he went to get ready for the gala.

 

Jason followed Dick to the movie room and settled in on the same loveseat they occupied last night. “That was pretty generous of your dad,” Jason commented.

“Yeah, he has a thing about people going through Crime Alley at night,” Dick said with a twinge of sadness in his voice.

Jason vaguely remembered an article he had read online somewhere; it had mentioned a young Bruce and his parents who had been murdered in front of him. Jason shuddered a little as he thought of the tragedy Bruce must carry around with him at all times.

Dick, noticing Jason’s shudder, said “Hey, are you cold? We can share the blanket, if you’d like.”

Jason nodded his approval. Dick grabbed the blanket from the back of the seat and sat himself next to Jason, throwing the blanket over the two of them.

“Okay, Bottle Rocket, take two!” Dick smiled as he hit play on the remote.

The second time around went slightly better and simultaneously worse. Better because Dick did manage to stay awake for the whole thing, worse because Jason’s body seemed to be even more affected by Dick’s proximity than last time. His heart seemed like it was trying to beat out of his chest anytime Dick moved in the slightest.

As the credits rolled, Dick shifted in his seat so that he was facing Jason.  His hands were fidgeting with the hem of the blanket and he was intently focused on looking down at them.

“So Jay, I really don’t want this to come off the wrong way,” he said after a small pause. “And I don’t want to mess up our friendship, because I’ve really come to like having you around. But, if I don’t say something now, I know I’m going to spend forever wondering about it.”

Jason’s heart stopped. What was going on? He couldn’t bear to get his hopes up that Dick was about to say what he was hoping he’d say.

“But here’s the thing, Jay,” Dick continued, still not looking up from his hands “I think I’ve started to like you as more than a friend. And I don’t know what your feelings are, but that’s where I’m at and…I guess…I just thought….you should know…” Dick trailed off.

Jason put his hand under Dick’s chin and lifted it up so Dick was looking at him. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Dick’s face blew wide with a smile and Jason leaned in to press their lips together.


	8. Chapter 8

Dick broke apart the kiss first and looked at Jason, blue eyes wide and earnest “Are you sure?”

Jason let out a low chuckle, “I’ve been sitting here for the last hour thinking about how I could bring up the subject without fucking up our our friendship. Believe me, I’m sure.”

And with that, Dick’s last inhibition seemed to dissolve and he closed the distance between their lips once again. Adrenaline shot through Jason as Dick’s hands started to roam over his body, pushing his jacket off his shoulders. Jason’s hands went up to tangle in Dick’s hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss. Dick’s tongue ran along the inside of his bottom lip before thrusting into Jason’s mouth. Jason moaned into Dick’s mouth, reveling in the taste of him.

It wasn’t that Jason hadn’t been with anyone before, but there was something else this time. It felt so different. The electricity between them was palpable.

Not breaking the kiss, Dick moved so that he was straddling Jason. Jason began to run his hands up Dick’s back, feeling the taut muscle under his shirt. Dick’s hands pressed firmly against Jason’s chest as he began to slowly work his hips back and forth over Jason’s clothed erection. Jason let his head fall back with a moan. The way Dick felt, the way he _moved_ -it was incredible. Dick brought his mouth down to the crook of Jason’s neck.

“Want to come back to my room?” he whispered breathlessly.

Jason was brought out of his sex-fueled daze for a moment to realize that maybe they shouldn’t have sex on the couches in the family-shared movie room.

“Yeah, lead the way,” Jason said trying to slow his breathing.

Dick agilely got off Jason and took him by the hand. They half ran back up to Dick’s room, occasionally stopping to press one another into a wall to make out. When they made it up to their destination, Dick softly closed the door and suddenly, Jason was nervous. He had wanted this so badly for so long, what if it didn’t meet his expectations? What if it didn’t meet Dick’s expectations? What if it changed the dynamic between the two of them?

“Go sit on the bed,” Dick said gently “I’ll be right there.”

Jason did as he was told and sat on the edge of the bed, still slightly nervous. Dick rummaged through a dresser draw and came back with a bottle of lube. Perhaps sensing Jason’s concern, Dick knelt in between Jason’s legs and looked up. “Jay, we don’t have to, if you don’t want to. Just say the word and I’ll back away, no questions asked.”

Jason knew the words Dick said were true. And something in the honesty of Dick’s statement relaxed him. Suddenly he realized they’d be able to talk through any qualms and his worry was unnecessary. However, with that revelation out of the way, Jason’s sole focus became the man on his knees in front of him.

“No…no I’m good” Jason said, having to clear his throat a little to get the words out. “Please, I want you,” he practically begged.

Dick’s face broke into a wicked smile and he leaned up to give Jason a brief kiss, “In that case, just lean back and relax, you’re in very capable hands.” Dick made quick work of Jason’s belt buckle and swiftly removed his pants and boxers. Jason’s erection sprang free.

Dick took it in his hand and began to lick the underside from base to tip. Jason hummed in approval. Shifting up on his knees slightly, Dick positioned his mouth right at the tip of Jason’s cock. Flitting his tongue out to lick off the pre-cum that had already escaped, Dick swiftly lowered his whole mouth around Jason’s full length. The unexpectedness made Jason’s hips buck involuntarily. “Oh shit, Dick,” Jason breathed as Dick began to move his head up and down Jason’s shaft.

Jason’s legs started to shake as Dick increased his speed. “I’m close, I’m close,” Jason said, placing his hand on Dick’s head to stop him from finishing him off. Wanting to give Jason a few moments to recover, Dick pulled away and stood up. Still staying between Jason’s legs, Dick began to slowing strip off his shirt, followed by his sweats, and lastly his briefs. Jason couldn’t stop admiring Dick’s body. He knew instantly that he wanted to know every part of it.

Getting back on his knees, Dick opened the bottle of lube and generously coated two of his fingers. Jason had a small moment of trepidation since he’d never been bottom before, but Dick simply reached around to start working on prepping himself. Jason’s mind seemed to short-circuit at the sight: it was so goddamn sexy! But his brain was forced to re-boot as Dick once again took Jason back into his mouth; all the while continuing to open himself up.

When he felt ready, Dick got up off his knees and crawled onto the bed next to Jason. Running his hand over Jason’s chest, Dick leaned in and whispered “I want you on top of me.”

Jason was almost too eager to oblige. He pressed Dick back onto the mattress and knelt between his already open knees. Slicking himself up with some lube, he adjusted so that he was right at Dick’s entrance. “You ready?” Jason asked tentatively. “Yes, yes, please Jay,” Dick babbled, his lust clearly overtaking him.

Jason pushed in slowly allowing Dick to adjust to the intrusion. With each forward thrust, Dick let out a soft moan. Finally, Jason bottomed out. “You still doing okay?” Jason checked, brushing Dick’s slightly damp hair out of his eyes. Dick was biting his bottom lip to keep from being too loud, but he nodded his head in confirmation.

Jason began to move in earnest then, Dick’s hips rolling to match Jason’s every thrust. Dick looked gorgeous underneath him, one hand reaching out above his head to grasp the comforter, the other reaching up around to grip Jason’s back. “Please, Jay, please.” Dick begged.

“What do you need, baby?” Jason leaned in to plant kisses along Dick’s heaving chest.

“Touch me. Please….please…” Dick’s pleas turned into a strangled yell as Jason reached down and grasped Dick’s neglected member. Jason stroked Dick in time with his thrusts until finally Dick’s back arched as he came with a strained cry. Dick went limp. Jason came after three hard thrusts and collapsed onto Dick, not even caring about the mess of cum on Dick’s stomach. After a moment, he gently pulled out of Dick and moved to lie down next to him.

Dick’s eyes fluttered open and he smiled softly as he wormed his way over to place his head on Jason’s chest. Jason wrapped an arm around him and began to gently stroke Dick’s spine. “So, was that…um….okay for you?” Jason asked.

Dick just snuggled in closer to him and answered “Mmm…absolutely.”

Jason chuckled softly into Dick’s hair and kissed the top of his head. “I guess I should go find that spare bedroom Alfred prepared for me?”

“Don’t be silly, it’s all the way in the other wing. There’s no reason you shouldn’t just stay here with me tonight,” Dick replied.

“As much as I’d love to, I don’t really fancy getting my ass kicked by your dad for defiling his son.”

“You leave my dad to me. I promise you’ll be fine,” reassured Dick.

Jason wasn’t entirely sure about that, but the thought of spending the night curled up next to this man, was too enticing to pass up. Convinced Jason was going to stay, Dick cleaned himself off and then buried them under the comforter. He fell asleep with his head resting on Jason’s chest. Jason followed Dick into sleep feeling more content than he had in a very long time.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Jason woke up to a hand stroking his hair. Turning his head, he found himself face-to-face with an obnoxiously cheery looking Dick.

“Oh no,” Jason groaned “Please don’t tell me you’re a morning person.”

“100%” Dick grinned. “Want to get some breakfast?”

“Ugh…what time is it? No, scratch that. I don’t even want to know.”

Dick laughed as he rolled on top of Jason. “Come on, I’m starving! I’ll make it worth your while,” he said as he leaned down to nuzzle his nose into Jason’s neck.

“What did you have in mind?” Jason asked with a crooked smile.

Dick sat back up “How about a rematch to save your pool honor?”

“Deal!” Jason said as he playfully pushed Dick off of him.

 

As they wandered towards the dining room, they could hear Bruce had already beaten them to breakfast. Jason paused and looked down at their clasped hands. “Maybe we shouldn’t,” he said indicating their hands.

Dick looked confused. “Why not? We’re together, aren’t we?”

“Well, yeah, but people can get pretty upset by this stuff.”

“Not Bruce, he’ll be fine. And if anyone else has a problem with it, that’s on them.”

Jason was still unsure, but Dick’s resolve and confidence didn’t leave a lot of room for argument. So they entered the room hand-in-hand and Jason braced for the worst.

“Morning,” Bruce said looking up from his paper long enough to take in the sight in front of him. Looking back down he said “Jason, I’m glad to see you didn’t make the drive home in the dark.”

Despite Dick’s reassurances that Bruce would be okay with them, Jason was still a bit shocked by the lack of reaction. “Umm….yeah, thanks for letting me stay.”

“You’re welcome, anytime,” Bruce said with a politeness that must have been honed by years of living in Gotham’s upper society.

               

They wrapped up breakfast, Bruce explaining he had some business to take care of in the afternoon. Dick and Jason were left to their own devices. They shot some more pool and this time Jason came out ahead. The wager on this round had been Dick showing off some more of his acrobatic skills. After Dick had gracefully given Jason a show on the trapeze rig hanging from the ceiling, Dick asked “Would you want to give it a try?”

Jason had never been called graceful. While he was fit and had an athletic build, the majority of his athletic skills came from boxing and street fighting. He didn’t really see himself as an acrobat. “Pass,” he said.

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun!” Dick protested. “I promise not to drop you.”

“Double pass,” Jason replied. But it was nearly impossible to resist Dick once he had an idea in his head. And with a groan, Jason was hoisted from his seat by Dick’s strong hand.

“Okay, so let’s start with some basics: the grip. Acrobats grip wrist to wrist instead of hand to hand. So you’re going to hold onto my wrist while I hold onto yours. It makes for a stronger grip and an easier target when you’re flying through the air.”

They practiced the grip a few times and then Dick said “Okay, looks like you’re ready for me to catch you!”

Jason did not feel the same amount of confidence. But before he knew it, Dick was inching him up the trapeze rigging to the top landing. It wasn’t more than 20 feet off the ground, but Jason’s brain was rapidly trying to convince him it was twice that height. It’s not that he was afraid of heights, but he couldn’t say this was an everyday occurrence for him.

Fearlessly, Dick leapt out onto one of the bars and started to swing. He looked like he was born to be in the air. Eventually he rotated himself, so he was upside-down, the bar across the front of his thighs and the rope underneath his bent knees.

“Okay, Jay, when I say go, leap off the platform with your arms outstretched towards me and I’ll catch you.”

Even with the net underneath them, Jason was hesitant. “Uh, Dick, have you thought this through? I do weigh more than you. How do you know you won’t be pulled off the bar by my momentum?”

Dick laughed “Because I’ve been doing this all my life. Plus, this position I’m in is called a catcher’s lock. I promise, I won’t drop you.”

Jason steeled himself for what he was about to do and when he heard Dick yell ‘Go!’ he took a running leap towards his boyfriend and prayed he wouldn’t end up a splat on the gym floor.

Just as Jason was beginning to see his life flash before him, he felt strong hands grab his wrists. He looked up to see Dick’s jovial face, clearly enjoying himself. Jason quickly grabbed hold of Dick’s wrists like he was taught to strengthen their grip on each other.

“See, piece of cake,” Dick said.

“Sure, yeah, easiest thing I’ve done all day,” Jason said sarcastically. “But how do you get down, boy wonder?”

“I let go of you,” Dick said simply. And before Jason could protest, Dick was releasing his hold and Jason was bouncing onto the net.

“You seemed to leave that part out when you first mentioned this little endeavor.” Jason called up at Dick who was now laughing while still swaying back and forth on the bar. He swung himself back over to one of the platforms and gracefully climbed back down to the ground. “I didn’t think it was relevant,” Dick said with a shrug when he made his way over to Jason who was still sitting on the net.

“Oh really?” Jason said with a teasing grin. And with that, he reached down and hoisted Dick up onto the net with him. Rolling around until he was on top of Dick, pinning his hands above him. “I’m going to make you pay for that,” Jason said gently biting at the base of Dick’s neck. Dick’s hips rose up to meet his and he let out a soft whine.

“I’d love to see you try,” Dick said panting slightly.

Jason was never one to back down from a challenge.

He released Dick’s hands and shimmied out of his pants. He moved so that he was straddling Dick’s head, his erection hovering just above his face. Dick’s lips parted willingly to take in Jason. Jason braced his hands on the net in front of him and began to pump in and out of Dick’s warm mouth. Dick’s hands ran along Jason’s bare thighs. As that familiar tightening sensation began to grow just above his groin, Jason paused for a moment “Do you want to swallow?” he asked Dick.

Not removing Jason from his mouth, Dick nodded a vigorous yes. Jason smiled and picked up speed until he came with a groan, releasing his load down Dick’s throat. As he removed himself, Dick happily licked off the remaining cum on Jason’s cock.

Jason lay back down on the net and Dick moved to nestle into him. Jason could feel Dick’s erection pressed up against his thigh. Reaching under the waistband of his sweats, he began to work Dick with his hand. Dick clung onto Jason as he began to fall apart, his head buried in Jason’s neck. Biting down on Jason’s shoulder, he came with a muffled yell and then went listless in his arms.

After a few moments, Dick stirred and said “Wow, I’ll have to surprise you more often.”

“Mmhmm…” Jason said, eyes closed and too content to bother coming up with a witty retort.

“So Jay, we should probably talk about school tomorrow.”

“What about it?” Jason's eyes opened.

“Well, since we haven’t been very public about even our friendship, I was wondering what your thoughts were on going public about us dating?”

It was true, Jason had been insistent they act like they didn’t even know each other at school. So as far as anyone could tell, the only thing that had changed was Jason’s grade in English.

It wasn’t that he was ashamed, but he knew what would happen to Dick if people found out he was hanging around Jason. They were so judgmental and small minded, he was certain the other students would start to snub Dick for his new friend (as absolutely third-grade as that sounded). And Jason had gotten to know Dick too well over the course of the year. He knew Dick was the epitome of an extrovert who practically depended on human interaction to survive. Losing his incredibly large friend base would be devastating to Dick, even if the guy kept arguing otherwise.

“I had planned on us going on the same way we’ve been going: ignoring each other at school and then spending ungodly amounts of time together afterwards.”

“I’m tired of sneaking around at school. It’s exhausting, and I want to introduce you to my friends.”

“No,” Jason answered firmly.

“Jay, this is stupid. I know you’re worried about me, and that’s sweet, but please trust that I know my friends. They won’t care. I was right about my dad, wasn’t I?”

“Dickie, your dad is one person, who loves you. We’re talking about a whole school, and one that has proven to be far from accepting. Just look at Kurtis Flores and his posse”

“Kurtis is an asshole. He doesn’t count.” Dick said dismissively.  “Please Jay? Maybe it’s gotten better. Maybe senior year is the time to put differences aside and just be open to some new ideas.”

Jason sighed in defeat “Okay, fine. But let the record show, I still don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“You’re the best!” Dick said with a smile and a quick kiss to Jason’s lips. “Now, let’s hop in the shower and afterwards we can try for another Wes Anderson movie. I’ve got The Grand Budapest Hotel.”

Jason had to admire Dick’s unflappable optimism, but he couldn’t loosen the knot that had formed in his stomach.  Still, Dick had been right about his dad, and about catching him on the trapeze, maybe Jason was over-thinking it? Maybe there was no need to worry.


	10. Chapter 10

It had been a week since they had walked into school hand-in-hand. Nothing of note had happened, but Jason was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. On the first day, the school had been ablaze with rumors and everyone seemed too stunned to say anything directly to their face.

The next day, things calmed down a little and Dick introduced Jason to several of his friends at lunch. They were polite enough, and some of them even seemed excited to welcome Jason into the group. It was a foreign feeling to Jason: being accepted into a group like this. He’d gone for so long without even acknowledging the rest of the student body. This was definitely going to take some getting used to.

A few weeks had passed and Jason and Dick had gotten into a routine. Usually Jason would stay the night at the manor (It had been nearly a month since he’d been back to his mom’s apartment, not that she’d notice) and then they’d either drive or walk to school. Jason loved driving Dick in on his cherished motorcycle; the feel of Dick’s body pressed up against his back sent sparks of pleasure through him.

They’d meet up at lunch with Dick’s (now slowly becoming Jason’s) friends. Then at the end of the day, the two would make their way back to the manor.

The trepidation Jason had felt at making their relationship public was gradually leaving him. Aside from some glares from Kurtis and his group, Dick’s assessment of his friends and popularity status seemed to be correct. Jason was almost sorry he hadn’t made a move to go public with their friendship sooner.

 

Jason was sitting in his last class on Friday, thinking about what movie he and Dick should watch that evening, when he received a note from the guidance counselor to come see her after class. Jason rolled his eyes. He was doing so much better in English (holding down a solid B in the class, thank you very much) and they were nearing the end of the year. What else could she want from him?

Dick came up to Jason’s locker after the last bell and asked with a smile “Ready to go?”

Jason sighed, “Sorry, Dickie, Miss Park wants to meet with me. I have absolutely no idea why, and I don’t know how long this could take. I hate to have you waiting around for me and I know you wanted to do some practice on the new rings routine you’re working on. Want to head home without me? I’ll just meet you there when I’m done.”

“Sure, sounds good, babe.” Dick said leaning in to give Jason a brief kiss. “I’ll see you there.”

Jason watched wistfully as Dick started on his walk back to the manor and then Jason turned and headed towards the guidance office.

 

_____________

 

It was a good thing Jason had sent Dick home ahead of him.  Miss Park seemed to want to re-hash all of Jason’s greatest hits while offering herself a congratulatory pat on the back for his improvement. Then she launched into Jason’s plans after high school. When she realized he hadn’t been thinking of college, she immediately went into searching for colleges with late enrollment. An hour and a half later, Jason was trying to stuff about a hundred college brochures into his backpack as he made his way to where he had parked his motorcycle.

He had been so distracted with the brochures, that he didn’t realize something was wrong until he reached his bike. It was on its side and looked like someone had taken a baseball bat to it. Jason looked at what remained of his most prized possession and felt rage spreading through him. Just as he was about to head back to the school to call Dick and see if he could get a tow truck out, something caught his eye. A piece of paper, taped to what was left of the handlebars, was flapping in the wind.

Jason’s rage turned into cold dread as he read the note: “If you like what we've done to your bike, you're going to love what we did to your 'boyfriend', fag." Jason's heart stopped for a second before he turned away from the bike and let out in a dead sprint towards the manor.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's the chapter that comes with a non-con/rape implication warning. Do what you need to do for yourselves.

Jason’s military-style boots were not made for running and the stitch in his side was becoming acutely painful, but he never slowed his pace. The thoughts of what could have happened to Dick spurred him on. When he finally reached the manor’s front door, Alfred answered the door, which just heightened Jason’s fear.

“Alfred…is Dick…is he…?” Jason was too out of breath to complete a full sentence.

“Master Richard is…resting in his room,” Alfred said.

The pause in Alfred’s sentence made Jason’s blood go cold. He pushed past the butler, not caring about formalities and ran up to Dick’s room. As his hand reached out for the doorknob to Dick’s bedroom, Jason took a fortifying breath, bracing for whatever state Dick might be in. Jason was ready for black eyes, broken limbs, stitch-requiring gashes, so when he opened the door to find Dick looking unscathed sitting on his bed, Jason was both immensely confused and relieved.

“Dick!” Jason yelled running over to his boyfriend’s bed. Dick looked up, startled by the sudden noise. Jason sat down on the bed and moved to place his hands on either side of Dick’s face to bring him into a kiss. But he flinched away from Jason’s contact and seemed to shrink into himself. That’s when Jason really took a look at Dick.

There were no broken limbs or black eyes, but he had a small abrasion near his right temple. He was sitting with his legs hugged up to his chest, looking anywhere but Jason, and there were matching bruises on the back of both his wrists. This was not the content, peaceful Dick he had watched in the study months ago.

“Dick?” Jason asked softly. Dick just hugged his legs tighter to his chest. “Dick, did something happen after school?”

Dick closed his eyes and Jason could see a tear leak out of one of them when he nodded his head.

Any relief Jason had felt when he first walked in was now gone. “Dickie, please. _Please_ talk to me. I want to know. _I want to help_.” Jason reached out to put his hand on Dick’s shoulder, but he shrunk away from that as well. “Is there any place that’s safe to touch you?” Jason kept his voice quiet and gentle.

Dick sat for a moment, and then slowly held out his hand. Jason went to take it, but Dick adjusted so that they were clasped wrist to wrist: the acrobat’s hold. Dick seemed to take strength and comfort from the familiar hold. He drew in a shaky breath and said “I was headed back to the manor, taking that shortcut we use through those woods, when Kurtis Flores stepped out to block my path.”

Jason did not like the sound of this. And despite whatever Dick said next, he was already planning on smashing Kurtis into a pulp. But he brought his focus back to Dick and gave him an encouraging nod to continue.

“Well, he started going off about you and me and how disgusting we were for being together. I went to walk past him but he shoved me back. I hadn’t even noticed his two ‘pals’ had come up behind me.”

Dick’s grip on Jason’s arm was now vice-like and Jason could see the tremors that were starting to shake Dick’s frame.

“They…they grabbed me and forced me down. I couldn’t move…they had my wrists and Kurtis was on top of me shoving my face into the ground.”  Dick’s breathing had started to speed up and bile rose to the back of Jason’s throat. “I…I pleaded with him not to... he…he laughed at me, said I deserved it.” Tears were starting to fall from Dick’s eyes as he looked up and made eye contact with Jason for the first time since he’d reached the manor. “Jason, I couldn’t stop him. He…he…” Dick started to sob in earnest and threw his arms around Jason’s neck.

Jason carefully folded him into a hug, not wanting to touch him anywhere that would upset him. “Shh….shh…Dickie, I’ve got you. You’re safe,” Jason whispered.

“I’m so sorry, Jay. I’m so sorry!” Dick cried into Jason’s shirt.

Jason gently pulled away so that he could look Dick in the eyes. “Dick, no. Don’t apologize.  This was not your fault. You did nothing wrong. This is not your fault,” Jason said emphasizing the last sentence.

Dick looked like he didn’t quite believe Jason, but he nodded his head all the same and hid his face back into Jason’s shoulder.

They sat there, Jason gently cradling Dick, for well over an hour. As the light outside began to dim, Jason softly shifted Dick and asked “When was the last time you ate?”

Dick gave a tiny shrug “Maybe at lunch?”

Jason knew how quickly the acrobat burned through calories. His body must be starving, even if his mind was too preoccupied to realize. “How about I head down to the kitchen and grab you something to eat?” Jason suggested. Dick looked reluctant for a moment, but then said quietly “Yeah, I guess I could use some food.”

As Jason moved to get up from the bed, Dick started to cling tighter to his shirt. “It’s okay, Dickie,” he coaxed “I’ll only be gone a few minutes, then I’ll be right back. I promise.” Dick gradually loosened his grip until Jason could finally detach himself. He made his way down to the kitchen as quickly as he could.

He was halfway through making up a plate of food, when Bruce walked in. By the tight lines around his eyes and his stiff posture, Jason assumed Bruce had been made aware that something had happened to Dick.

“Do you know what happened?” Jason asked.

Bruce gave a curt nod. “I know enough,” he said through clenched teeth. “Do you know who did it?”

Jason was hesitant. He didn’t want to speak for Dick, but also was strangely intimidated by the Bruce that was standing before him. He wasn’t shouting or yelling, but Jason had never seen anyone so angry in all his life. If just a fraction of that anger had been focused on him, Jason knew he would give up any secrets he was holding onto. “Kurtis Flores and his two cronies,” Jason finally said.

Bruce gave him another terse nod and then strode out of the room. Jason didn’t spare a lot of thought on what Bruce would do with the new information. Instead, he returned back to his task at hand and hurriedly walked back to Dick’s room.

He found him in the same spot he had left him. “Hey Dickie,” Jason said softly, padding over to the bed. “Why don’t you try eating something and then maybe a shower might do you some good?” Dick took the food and managed to finish a decent portion of it. The food plus the shower helped to bring back a little color into Dick’s cheeks. But Jason knew there would still be a long road to recovery for him.

Jason got Dick settled into bed and when he was sure he was fully asleep, Jason carefully got out of the bed and went down to the computer in the study.


	12. Chapter 12

Jason had spent the night researching everything he could on Kurtis: his school activities, his social media posts, anything and everything until he found what he needed. Clearing his search history, Jason got up and grabbed the keys to Dick’s car.

He arrived at his destination, at a quarter to six. Jason had searched until he’d found a post Kurtis had left complaining about early Saturday morning swim practices. Then all it had taken was a few searches for the team logo he’d posted to narrow down the swimming pool he’d be practicing at.

Jason parked two blocks away from the building and found an alley where he could wait and watch for Kurtis to arrive. His luck was with him, because not more than ten minutes passed before Kurtis walked, alone, directly past the opening to the alley Jason was standing in.

Jason reached out and placed a hand over his mouth while simultaneously grabbing the bastard’s arm and twisting it painfully behind his back. Too shocked to do much, Kurtis’ yelp of surprise was muffled by Jason’s hand as he was dragged into the alley and slammed into the wall. Pressing his chest up against Kurtis’ back, Jason growled into his ear “I want you to know, you could destroy a hundred bikes, and I wouldn’t give two shits. But you touched Dick, and now, I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to let you live.”

Jason spun him around and thrust a powerful hand over his throat. Kurtis’ eyes went wide with fear as his hands scrambled ineffectually to try to remove Jason’s grip. Jason was careful with his grasp, making sure not to leave any identifying marks. Pressing harder onto his windpipe, Jason gave an evil smile and said “Yes, you severely underestimated how much I’ve grown to hate you after all these years and how easy it would be to end your life right here.”

He could see Kurtis’ nostrils flair as his body tried to take in what little oxygen it could. Jason leaned in harder and cut off all of his air supply. Kurtis was truly frantic now, arms desperately trying to find purchase on anything that could help him.

“Here’s the deal,” Jason drawled, unconcerned by Kurtis’ distraught movements. “You will never again come near Dick. You see him in the hall? You turn around and go back the way you came. He’s in the bathroom? You go outside and piss in the woods. You share a class? You no longer attend it. Fail to do any of those things, and I’ll happily find you again and finish what I’ve started here. The same goes if you even think of mentioning what happened here. Understand?”

Barely holding onto consciousness, Kurtis nodded in desperation. “Good,” Jason said. With a savage shove, he released his hold. Kurtis dropped to the ground, gasping. Looking up into Jason’s cold glare, he scrambled to pick himself up off the ground and made a mad sprint to the building.

Jason turned around and jogged back to where he’d parked the car. He knew Dick had been exhausted from the night before, but he still didn’t want to risk him waking up without him there. Jason parked the car back at the manor and calmly walked to Dick’s room.

He was still asleep when Jason entered, his face free of any signs of the distress he’d suffered. Jason climbed gingerly back into the bed. Dick shifted in his sleep to curl into Jason’s arms. Jason softly kissed Dick’s forehead and tried to get a few hours of sleep before Dick woke up.  


	13. Chapter 13

The weekend went by quietly. The whole household tried to return back to life as usual; no one mentioned the incident to Dick’s face and to his credit, Dick put on a brave face in front of Bruce and Alfred. But when it was just Jason and himself, Jason could see the stress behind Dick’s eyes.

Come Sunday night, as they were packing up backpacks for the morning, Jason noted Dick’s unnaturally sluggish movements. He could tell Dick was not looking forward to returning to school. Jason didn’t blame him. He had no intention of telling Dick what he’d done to Kurtis, but he couldn’t stand watching Dick worry like this.

“Dick, you know you could take a few days off,” Jason said gently placing his hand on Dick’s arm. “You know Bruce would call in and make your excuses, and if he wouldn’t Alfred would.”

Dick slowly shook his head “No, I can’t let them know they got to me, it would be like admitting defeat.”

“To hell with them, Dick,” Jason said. “This is about you, about doing what you need.”

Dick shook his head more vigorously. “I need…I just need…” And suddenly Dick collapsed down to his knees, his head in his hands. Jason could see Dick’s shoulders shake with silent sobs. Jason dropped down to kneel next to him. He gathered Dick into his arms and moved so he could cry into is shoulder. “Dickie,” Jason said softly, “It’s okay, I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Dick lifted his head to look up at Jason “But what about when you’re not around? What happens when I see him in the hall? What happens if he tries to come after me again?”

Jason didn’t see any way around it; he couldn’t let Dick keep agonizing over something that would never happen. So he took a deep breath and said “Dick, I need you to listen to me and hear what I’m saying: Kurtis is not going to bother you.”

Dick pushed away from Jason’s chest and turned so his back was facing him, “You can’t be sure, though, Jay. There’s no way to know that.”

Jason moved so that they were face to face again. He put a finger under Dick’s chin and lifted it until Dick’s eyes locked onto his. “Dick, I’m only going to say this one more time: _Kurtis will never bother you again_.”

Understanding registered in Dick’s face. “Jason, what did you do?” his brow creasing with apprehension.

“I promise you, I did not leave a mark on him,” Jason said.

The apprehension did not leave Dick’s face. “Jason, you shouldn’t have! You can’t take justice into your own hands!”

Jason was not in the mood to discuss morality. “I did what was necessary! No one does what Kurtis did to you without retribution. I’m not sorry and I would do it all over again if it meant keeping you safe. Goddammit, Dick! I love you too much to see you get hurt again!”

Dick’s face went blank with surprise. “You…love me?” he asked hesitantly.

Jason froze and replayed what he had just said in his mind. _Oh shit_. Clearly his temper had gotten the best of him because he had not meant to let that slip out. Well, now there was no backtracking from it, so ready or not he was going to have to own up to it.

He let out a sigh. “Yes. Dickiebird, I’ve know I’ve loved you since that first movie night. You’re enthusiastic, optimistic, smart, hot as fuck, and so many other things. I never stood a chance. I was always going to fall for you, there was nothing I could do to stop it.” Jason hung his head and waited for Dick’s response.

After what felt like an eternity, Dick placed both his hands on either side of Jason’s face. Jason looked up. “I never stood a chance either.” Dick said with a small smile. “I love you too, Jason.”

Jason swept Dick up from the ground and spun him around. Careful to avoid any of his trigger points, he lowered Dick and brought him in for a heated kiss.

Jason knew there’d be a lot of trial and error as they moved forward and that Dick would always carry the scars of what had happened to him. But Jason also knew he was ready to help Dick through all of it, no matter what it took. Together, they were going to be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew...we made it to the end! Thank you so much to everyone who's been along for the journey. Each and every comment and kudo has honestly been amazing, so thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
> 
> Also since I know there were several comments about Bruce's plans, here's a mini epilogue:  
> Bruce loves his son, and has no plans to let what happened to Dick stand without retribution. Working in both his day and night job, he gathers enough evidence to prosecute Kurtis and his gang to the full extent of the law.


End file.
